


Cliché

by SageMaiden_23



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Black Rocks (Disney: Tangled), Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom (Disney), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, Moondrop | Moonstone Opal (Disney), Music, Original Character(s), Romance, Singing, Sundrop | Sundrop Flower (Disney), Tangled (2010) References, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-26 05:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30101352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMaiden_23/pseuds/SageMaiden_23
Summary: Princess Bernadette of the Dark Kingdom had been isolated for the first 15 years of her life. Besides her father, King Edmund, Bernadette has never interacted with another person."And they lived happily ever after!" was a quote that Princess Bernadette never liked, for she knew that in reality, there is no true "Happily Ever After". She always has been able to see both the protagonist's and antagonist's points of view and she knew that the antagonist always had valid reasons for what they were doing.Love is also something Bernadette never understood. How could people choose to feel something that can cause them so much pain?Perhaps a lost family member and new friends are just what the princess needs to learn. Maybe even a crush will teach her what life is actually about. You can't just avoid what makes you sad or what causes you pain. Bernadette will have to learn to trust, lead, and love others while also learning that there are more than just two sides to the story.
Relationships: Varian (Disney)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Long-Lost Brother

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fanfiction, so I hope you like it! Also know that there will be major spoilers for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure in this story! The ideas for this story just tend to pop into my head, but I'm sure some other stories inspired me (I just don't remember them). There will be lots of references to a variety of songs because in my mind there's a "soundtrack" to the story. Also, if you want to change Bernadette to your name, there's a great extension I use called InteractiveFics and you can use that to change/alter the story. Again, I hope you enjoy the story!

Bernadette ran after her father, her weapons - Arnis sticks made out of the black rocks - in hand. Although she had trained for years, she has never faced anyone in battle. This was her chance to prove to her father that she worthy of becoming part of the brotherhood. Bernadette followed her dad out of the castle, her heart pounding. In the distance, she could see a moving gondola. That gondola hasn't been in use for years, but there it was, moving towards the castle. "What are we going to do?" Bernadette asked the King.

" _We_ aren't going to be doing anything. You're staying in the castle," King Edmund replied, putting on a bear hood. 

"But Father-"

"Enough! I'll take care of this. It won't take long."

King Edmund jumped onto the cord and made his way to the gondola. Bernadette turned away and sighed. She was tired of her father treating her like she couldn't handle herself. After a few seconds, she made her decision.

Tucking her Arnis sticks into her corset, she backed away a few feet, then ran as fast as she could, jumping off the cliff and onto the cord. Bernadette grabbed hold of the cord, steadying herself. As she climbed towards the gondola, she could see that her father was already engaged in battle with the strangers. "Look, can we just not go one place without some weirdo jumping out of nowhere?" she could hear a man yell. As the man said this, King Edmund brought his ax down on the stranger. The man dodged the strike, causing the ax to break the wood below him.

Finally, Bernadette reached the gondola, jumping onto the roof. Now she could make out the faces of 2 strangers. The man who yelled out had brown hair and eyes. He seemed so... _familiar_. Bernadette shook her head, knowing that this wasn't possible. She hasn't had any contact with anyone besides her father for her whole life. But how is it that she felt like she knew this man?

The second stranger was a girl that you know you would be able to remember. She had about 70 feet of golden blonde hair and green eyes. Although Bernadette was not familiar with this girl, she did get a weird feeling being around her. Snapping herself back to reality, she realized what was happening. She was in battle. Bernadette took a fighting stance, ready to defend herself.

Just as she was ready to fight, something grabbed her ankle. Reacting fast, she looked down, to see golden hair wrapped around her shoe. Bernadette quickly linked this to being the girl's hair. She yanked her foot backward, pulling the girl's hair. "Blondie!" she heard the man call out behind her. Kicking behind herself, she felt her heel make contact. Whipping her head around, she saw the man, stumbling backward, almost falling off the gondola.

She looked back at her father, who was now fighting a lady with white hair. Half of this lady's face was painted red. As she looked closer, this woman had a sword... _made out of the black rocks_. Bernadette charged at her, knocking the sword out of her hand. The sword fell into the abyss of black rocks. The black rock sword wasn't the only thing off about this matron. On her hand was a circle with 3 lines coming out of it; the symbol of the Brotherhood. Trying to ignore this, she fought with the lady.

During this, King Edmund damaged the cord while in combat with the 2 other strangers. At any moment, the cord was gonna break, causing the gondola to fall. Bernadette could hear the strangers off to the side.

"Rapunzel, you and the others go," the man with brown hair commanded. "I'll hold off Mr. Personality."

"But-" the blonde girl protested.

"I said go! Now!"

The blonde girl was pulled onto the cliff by a pale lady with short hair and a dark, bald guy. "Cassandra, wait!" the blonde girl called out, reaching her arm for the man. The lady named Cassandra held the girl back. It was obvious that soon the gondola would collapse. As the cord got thinner and thinner, Bernadette's father looked back at her. "BEA!" he yelled at Bernadette. He tackled her, causing her to fall onto the cliff. This caused the wooden structure to fall, along with King, the brown-eyed man, and the white-haired lady to fall into the chasm.

"Eugene!" the blonde girl yelled. "Father!" Bernadette screamed, panting. The only person Bernadette had in her life was slowly fading from view. The four of them looked down into the abyss, watching the gondola fall. Bernadette looked at the strange people she was left with. Stopping the strangers from reaching the moonstone is what her father would have wanted. But she had to help her dad. Glaring at them, she jumped into the pit after her father.

Bernadette landed a couple of feet away from the broken gondola. The lady with white hair was nowhere to be seen, but King Edmund and the man named Eugene were lying on the ground. It didn't seem like they were injured very badly.

"Oh, that was thoroughly unpleasant," Eugene groaned. "Oh, thank heavens. You're okay," he added sarcastically, looking at the king. King Edmund got up and stood over Eugene, ax in hand. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Eugene asked, accepting his fate.

The princess watched as her father stood over Eugene, waiting for him to strike. A few moments passed the surroundings around them were still. "Yeah, what are you waiting for? Kill him!" Bernadette finally yelled, revealing herself. Eugene looked over at Bernadette, slightly annoyed yet scared at the same time. "I... I won't fight you," King Edmund finally stated. "You... are _my son_." Bernadette's eyes widened. She couldn't believe this. That stranger was her brother? Where was he her whole life then? Why didn't he ever visit and keep her company? There's no way that Eugene could be Bernadette's brother, right?

"Father?" Eugene asked, suspicion in his voice. "You're my _father_?" Bernadette couldn't hold it in anymore, and it seemed like neither could Eugene. The both of them burst out laughing in disbelief.

"Well, of course, you are!" Eugene shouted at the king sarcastically. "I don't know why I didn't see it before! I mean, the dark, soulless eyes, the unbridled aggression that drives one to attack total strangers!" Bernadette clutched her stomach, unable to stop giggling. "Yeah, because I'm _totally_ related to this _wimp_!" she added on, also being sarcastic.

The king glared at the 2 of them. His eyes were serious and filled with emotion. After a couple of moments, the laughter died down. "Oh... you're serious," Bernadette realized. King Edmund nodded, then turned back to Eugene. " _I am_ your father," King Edmund said. He walked over to something sticking out of a black rock. It was the black rock sword. Grabbing the sword, he slashed through the indestructible material. The rock was sliced, the tip of it falling to the ground. Turns out, the rocks weren't unbreakable. Eugene narrowed his eyebrows. Although Eugene could tell the king wasn't joking, he still couldn't believe that this man - a guy wearing a bear hood who attacked him and his friends - was his father.

And Bernadette? Well, now that the realization hit her, she didn't know how to feel. All these years alone, when she could have had a brother to watch over her? A wave of anger rushed over her. She tried to think of any possible explanation for this. If Eugene himself didn't know, then that means he didn't leave the Dark Kingdom on his own account. Even if he did, then he must have no recollection of doing so.

Anger soon turned sadness. Eugene had no idea who he actually was, what he was destined to be. Bernadette took a deep breath, finally accepting the truth. She has an older brother, Eugene. And at last, he returned to his home.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we're a little bit into the story, there will be some light cussing throughout the story, just so you know.

As King Edmund brought Eugene and Bernadette back to the castle, he explained why Eugene was sent away as a baby. "Don't worry. It's actually quite an interesting story," the king started. Bernadette crossed her arms the whole time. She's never heard of Eugene; and that's saying something seeing that King Edmund thinks out loud, literally. While they walked, she couldn't bring herself to meet her father's eyes. How can he hide something this big for years? At this point, she wasn't even listening to the story. It's practically the same story as to why she's been alone all these years.

After about 10 minutes (which felt like an eternity to Bernadette), they reached the castle. "Welcome home," King Edmund announced to Eugene, opening the doors to the castle - the fortress that Bernadette had been isolated for 15 years. Deep inside, Bernadette felt like Eugene was walking straight into a trap.

"Yeah, it's uh..." Eugene stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. "Wow, you really went all-in with the whole dark theme, didn't ya?"

"Oh, he likes it," King Edmund said, talking to himself.

"So tell me this, Old Brooding Armor Guy. What makes you think we're related, anyway?"

Now, this is what Bernadette was interested in. Her father practically just attacked a stranger, then declared that the stranger was his son. Seeing that he sent away his son 25 years ago, she figured that his child would look _slightly_ different. She looked back at her father to see how he would explain this. She didn't know why, but somewhere inside of her, she hoped that her father's explanation wouldn't make sense. That maybe Eugene wasn't her brother and King Edmund was just being delusional.

"It's your eyes. I can tell a lot by looking into a man's eyes," the king declared, staring right into Eugene's eyes. "Also, my ravens have been following you ever since you left."

"Right. And where does this child come in?" Eugene asked, gesturing to Bernadette.

Before the king could answer, Bernadette butted in. "I'm 15, dumb-ass," she replied. Before Eugene came into the story, it was only her father that treated her like she was a little kid. Now it was both King Edmund and Eugene.

"Oh, won't you look at that? She's got a temper!" Eugene mocked her.

If Bernadette was an animal, she would be growling at Eugene. She practically stopped herself from beating the shit out of him, but she didn't hide this.

King Edmund just stared at the two of them. He shook his head, then introduced Bernadette and Eugene to each other. "This is your little sister, Bernadette. She's fifteen and trained in martial arts," he explained. Eugene's jaw dropped slightly. "Sister?" he repeated. Bernadette tilted her head and smiled at him teasingly. Her face then dropped and she put up her middle finger.

"Knock it off," King Edmund commanded calmly. He pushed down Bernadette's hand and walked to the corner of the room. Pulling out a pile of hidden flyers, he said, "These don't do your nose any justice." The king handed the papers to Eugene. Being short, Bernadette had to stand on her tippy-toes and look over her father's shoulder to see what was on the flyers. It was a bunch of wanted posters for Flynn Ryder.

"That's what I've been screaming!" Eugene agreed.

"I think this reunion is off to a great start! We're finding common ground, exchanging stories. I just might win him over yet!" the king thought aloud.

A faint red band appeared over Bernadette's cheeks. Clenching her fists, she took a deep breath. She watched as Eugene and King Edmund interacted with each other. He seemed to like Eugene so much; for the first time in her life, Bernadette felt _jealous_.

"You know, I can hear what you're saying," Eugene said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must be speaking my thoughts out loud," King Edmund explained. "I have been alone a long time."

Bernadette held back her tears. This was no problem, for she stopped herself from crying almost every day. What her dad said wasn't a lie; he has been alone for a long time. Even though Bernadette lived with him, he didn't bother to spend time with her. The only times Bernadette and King Edmund interacted with each other were when he trained her. It was only ever being scolded or being praised. So yes, the king has been alone. But so has Bernadette. She rolled her eyes and brushed it off like she was just annoyed.

"How's this?" the king tried. "You are unaware of what I'm thinking now, yes?"

"Yeah, no, you're saying everything that you're thinking out loud, and I can still hear all of it," Eugene told him.

"Drat! I will work on this skill."

King Edmund continued to explain Eugene's heritage. Bernadette stood to the side, practicing her forms with her Arnis sticks. She wanted to drown King Edmund and Eugene's voices out, but she could still faintly hear their conversation.

"Right. Look, I've got to find my friends, you see. I need to make sure Rapunzel is okay," Eugene explained to the king.

"So long as she stays away from the Moonstone, she will be," King Edmund replied.

"But she can't; she's the Sundrop."

Dropping her Arnis sticks, Bernadette turned her head. Quickly picking them up, hoping that neither of them noticed, she wondered to herself. _The_ Sun-drop? After some thinking, Bernadette thought that only the blonde girl could have been the Sundrop. No wonder that girl made Bernadette felt weird. So, the blonde, 70-feet-long haired and green eyed girl was Rapunzel and Eugene obviously cared a lot about her. Bernadette took a seat at the dining table, now trying to listen to King Edmund and Eugene's conversation.

"You don't know that she is, son," King Edmund began.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! You do not get to call me son!" Eugene fumed.

"All right, listen. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes _The Glower_." King Edmund gave Eugene a face that was supposedly "intimidating". Bernadette saw him do this and banged her head on the table in front of her. She was one of the few times she felt embarrassed and couldn't bear to keep looking.

King Edmund took out the black rock sword, letting it glisten in the light. "I had you taken as far away as possible. Yet, after all that time and all those miles, you wind up here in front of me with this," King Edmund insisted, showcasing the sword. "A weapon that could actually have the power to destroy the Moonstone! We shall destroy the Moonstone together!"

Bernadette lifted her head to look at her father. He had over a decade to destroy the moonstone with her! Yes, she didn't have a black rock sword, but she had a pair of Arnis sticks made out of the black rocks. In anger, Bernadette stomped out of the room. She went over to the statue room, a room filled with giant, stone figures of her ancestors. She's always looked up to her ancestors; they all were sworn to protect the world from the Moonstone. Any moment, her father and Eugene would walk into that room, seeing that the statue room was the only way to get to the moonstone. She sat behind the base of a statue of her great-grandmother. When Eugene and King Edmund would come in, they wouldn't be able to see her. Bernadette wanted to keep it that way.

After half an hour of being alone with her thoughts, the doors to the statue room opened. Bernadette quickly got up and crouched behind a statue. "These statues... are these my-" Eugene hesitated. "They're our ancestors," King Edmund said, finishing Eugene's sentence. "Generation after generation have sacrificed to keep this stone from the world. And now, you're here to help me destroy it once and for all and take your place among them."

The two of them walked across the room to the entrance to the Moonstone. Bernadette kept her eyes on them. As she kept still, she could feel her senses strengthen. She began to notice her breathing pattern and feel the rough cloth on her skin.

Finally, King Edmund opened the doors to the Moonstone. Bernadette peeked from behind the statue. She was never allowed to go in that room but being a child, of course, she broke some rules. The room was filled with black rocks. In the center of the chamber was the Moonstone, floating in its capsule. There was a bridge made out of the black rocks leading straight to the Moonstone. "There it is, son. The Moonstone. No longer shall its burden fall upon us, for all that stands between us and our destiny is this bridge," the king started.

Suddenly, the room started to rumble. Bernadette could feel the shaking ground through her leather boots. Holding on to the statue to keep her balance, she looked into the chamber. The bridge collapsed, making it practically impossible to reach the stone. "I'll go get a rope," King Edmund sighed, leaving Eugene and Bernadette in the statue room alone. Although, Eugene didn't know Bernadette was there with him. He thought he was alone.

Eugene took out his wanted flyers. He looked through them, questioning everything. As he continued looking through the posters, he talked to himself, wondering if everything he knew was a lie.

_"I thought I was an outcast. I thought I stood alone. A rogue, a thief, a joker; no place to call my own. I thought no one could love me and how could I have known I was wrong... Oh so wrong. And then I thought I found it: a dream that I could share. I thought I was so lucky. It almost wasn't fair. I thought I knew my purpose. I thought that I knew where I belong, but I was wrong. Everything I ever thought I knew! Where I've been, where I'm going. Everything I counted on turned out to be untrue! Could've guessed, should've known... Now I do. Everything I've yearned for, everything I planned. All my sweetest memories were castles made of sand. Now that it's all crumbling, help me understand. If none of it was really me, then who am I suppose to be? And everything I ever thought I knew, every hope, every feeling... Love and trust and happiness, they're done, they're gone, they're through. And what's left, me alone. Once again, should've known. Now I do. I guess my life meant nothing. I guess it was a sham. I guess I'm someone else now. I wonder who I am._

Bernadette couldn't hide anymore. Perhaps she felt guilty for eavesdropping; after all, Eugene did just spill out all of his innermost feelings. She walked out from behind the statue. "Hey," she called out to him, scaring him. "Gah! Jeez, kid!" Eugene hissed, stumbling backward and holding his heart. "Wait, how much of that did you hear?" Bernadette shrugged her shoulders. "Enough," she said simply. Eugene narrowed his eyebrows, feeling both angry and embarrassed.

Just then, a small squeaking noise was heard. A small chameleon ran up to Eugene. "Pascal? What are you doing here? Are you okay frog?" Eugene asked, picking up the small creature. Bernadette looked over Eugene's shoulder. "Uh, that's a chameleon," she corrected him. Eugene rolled his eyes and put the chameleon named Pascal closer to his face. Pascal squeaked happily at Bernadette's correction, then turned to Eugene and gave him an irritated look.

Yeah, yeah, I know... I know you're mad at me, but I didn't have a choice. Look, this is gonna sound crazy, but this place is where I come from," Eugene explained, lifting Pascal and giving him a nice view of the room. Bernadette gave Eugene a small smile. "I know we brought Rapunzel here to grab the stone, but everything... Everything is different now. Look, the last time someone tried to destroy the Moonstone, I lost my mother." At this, Bernadette widened her eyes but stayed quiet. "I mean, what if we lost Rapunzel, Pascal?"

"What did he tell you?" Bernadette asked him, holding back her anger. She could feel all the blood being pumped through her veins. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she sighed.

"He told me that my mother... that _our_ mother," he corrected himself, "died because of the Moonstone's power."

"I... that could be why.

Eugene narrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? What are you not telling me?"

Bernadette held a strand of her hair to Eugene. Her hair was normal... for the most part. While most of her hair black, the very tips of her hair were teal, something that gave Eugene memories of a certain someone. "My hair... is _naturally_ like this," Bernadette explained. Bernadette's dark eyes met Eugene's. "He told you that the Moonstone killed our mother. But she died giving birth to me. And my dad linked two and two together. The Moonstone made my hair like this. In our father's eyes, _I'm_ the one who killed our mother. That's why he told you that the Moonstone killed our mother."

Eugene placed a hand on Bernadette's shoulder. "It's not your fault, kid," he said, feeling sorry for her. Bernadette smiled back at Eugene. King Edmund blamed Bernadette for his wife's death. But Bernadette also blamed herself. Not telling him this, she thanked him. "Thanks, Genie," she said teasingly.

"Excuse moi?" Eugene asked, crossing his arms. "I said: Thanks, _Genie_ ," Bernadette repeated.

"If you keep calling me that, I'll be calling you _Tipsy_. Because of your hair. Get it?" he insisted. Bernadette shrugged her shoulders, telling him that she couldn't care less if he called her Tipsy. But inside, she felt amazing. Someone actually gave her a teasing nickname and she loved it; even if the nickname literally meant being drunk.

Pascal squeaked, trying to take out something from Eugene's pocket. Eugene dug through the small pouch and pulled out a small paper. "One of her company will turn against her," he read aloud.

"It's me!" Eugene exclaimed. Bernadette had no idea what he was talking about but decided not to ask until later. "I'm the one who turned against Rapunzel. I should've known better. All right, Pascal. Let's go find Rapunzel!" Eugene started running to the door while Bernadette just stood there. "You too, Tipsy, come on!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her arm and they ran out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be taking a break for a week because of school work, so no new chapters will be add from 22 March 2021 - 28 March 2021.


End file.
